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How Beckham and Manchester United Tell Investor Stories

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I had the chance to see all the teams competing in the World Cup here in Qatar. Argentina’s shock defeat was the biggest headline on the pitch to date, followed by Germany’s loss to Japan. Spain look like contenders, but Brazil are still the favorites after getting off to a winning start with a stunning strike from Richarlison.

The next installment of the Business of Football Summit, March 1-2, 2023, will discuss the World Cup results and much more. As a Scoreboard subscriber, you can use a promo code to sign up for a free digital pass. Save £400 with a PREMIUM23 or in-person pass and attend the Biltmore Mayfair on 2nd March. register here.

Back in the present, news of the week that the football world has been gossiping about for months: Manchester United could be up for sale. increase. We also look at how the global brand is trying to ride the World Cup wave with its own informal marketing campaign. Please read- Josh Noble, Sports Editor

Send us your tips and feedback: scoreboard@ft.com. Haven’t received your email newsletter yet?sign up hereFor everyone else, let’s go.

How Manchester United, Beckham and fans explain juicy ratings

ikura? ! © David Klein/Reuters

Manchester United is just one of those brands. Even in a very hot market for sports assets, the Glazer family’s decision to consider selling the club has alarmed investors and the media worldwide.

United’s history is full of ups and downs. The tragic Munich air disaster of February 1958 drew the world’s sympathy for his 23 lives lost to eight Manchester United players. The next decade of his club’s recovery culminated in European winning his Cup due to George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton’s ‘Holy His Trinity’ attack.

However, the team disbanded and United failed to win the top league in England for 26 years. Sir Alex Ferguson A driving force behind the 1992/93 title win. In 1999, United achieved his treble of league, FA Cup and Champions League. This is a first for an English club. The Glazers bought United in his buyout, which he leveraged in 2005 Cristiano Ronaldo.

United are nearing the end of a decade without a league title since Ferguson retired in 2013. Ronaldo returned last year but struggled to reclaim the team’s fortunes. The Portuguese superstar has negotiated an early release of his contract after criticizing the Glazers and the club for not evolving since Ferguson’s departure.

But despite their turmoil and setbacks on the pitch, United have a story to tell. And it’s worth a lot of money. The club’s share price is up more than 65% this week and its assets are valued at around $3.5 billion. It’s still too early to determine how much anyone will pay, but the club could be worth even more if the right bidders show up.

David BeckhamPlaying a key role in United’s treble-winning season, is open to conversations with potential bidders. Beckham is proving that United is where celebrities and stories come from.

responsible rain groupa merchant bank that handled a £2.5bn rival auction Chelsea FC This year, we’re showcasing United more than just a football club, they’re a content factory with 1.1 billion fans and followers. This is how Private He attracts a different profile of buyers to his usual line of equity investors and billionaires.

In this analysis, the FT is asking what United is. really worth it If Rain can convince media platforms, computer game developers and e-commerce companies to look at United in a new light.

the growth of english premier leagueThis result will be a defining moment for the sports business.

World Cup 2022: Branding Battlegrounds

Figo in Doha: Travel without a visa © Josh Noble/FT

Those currently using the Doha Metro will have a hard time getting away from that image. Luis Figo, the former Portuguese superstar, devours olives. His face is plastered all over the city’s new transport network, looking down on passengers waiting to board self-driving trains. The twinkling towers of Doha’s West Bay peek out from the background as Figo receives instructions from a local fisherman. It’s all part of an advertising campaign for payment provider Mastercard designed to steal the thunder of Visa, the official sponsor of the World Cup.

This is what people in the industry call ambush marketing. A clever (or sneaky) way to piggyback on major events without being a sponsor. The trick is to avoid protected copyrights and rely on subtle visual cues. This is a long-standing tradition of the World Cup and other sports mega-events.

There is also a bit of history here. Mastercard was a World Cup partner until FIFA switched to Visa for his 2010 tournament. Mastercard filed a lawsuit and the dispute ultimately $90 million settlement.

Other non-sponsors are looking to profit from this World Cup.Coca-Cola has been one of FIFA’s most important commercial partners since 1974. Qatar’s stadium concession stands exclusively serving Coke, Sprite and the company’s local water brand, Arwa. Of course, if you want that, you’ll have to pay with Visa.

But Coca-Cola’s great rival Pepsi is on the World Cup bandwagon.this is latest tv ads feature Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba When Ronaldinho Trying to nutmeg as many people as possible in the general Middle East bazaar.No mention of Qatar, FIFA or the World Cup. But viewers do get the connection.

“All of these brands have great lawyers and great budgets and choose to pretend to be sponsors,” says Ricardo, an independent consultant who has worked on sponsorships for both Visa and Coca-Cola. Fort says. “As long as you don’t use trademarked iconography, everything is legal.”

Things can go wrong. A group of women at the 2010 South African World Cup detained Wearing an orange dress at the game. FIFA accused them of promoting the unlicensed beer brand Bayern. The company denied any involvement.

FIFA protects sponsors from ambush marketing. This means providing sponsors with designated spaces that other brands cannot advertise and allowing them to use trademarked images such as stadiums and World Cup trophies for their promotions. Whether consumers can tell the difference is another matter.

This week’s best of the FT’s World Cup coverage

World Cup: Fans make football © Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters

  • The Qatar World Cup experience is unlike anything you’ve had before. After some teething trouble, fans are starting to find their rhythm.However, many people lack of atmosphere.

  • Instead, many are choosing to base themselves in dubaian hour’s flight away, where alcohol is more readily available and the overall atmosphere is a bit more fun.

  • Can Argentina and Messi bounce back? The starting second favorites to win the tournament suffered a humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia in their first match.On Saturday they will have to beat Mexico.Simon Cooper see their prospects.

  • Simon also writes a column his time How the real World Cup experience plays out on the Doha grounds and in living rooms and pubs around the world.

highlight

  • silver lake have increased investment of city ​​of manchesterThe parent group has more than 18%, and the stake in City Football Group held by Chinese investors is now almost zero.

  • Lars Windhorst agreed to sell His majority stake in German football clubs hertha berlin to an investment company in the United States 777 PartnerThe Miami-based group already owns shares. Genoa FC When Seville.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo is walked away Ended a difficult return to the club from Manchester United.In Portugal’s opener against Ghana on Thursday, he first male player Score in 5 World Cups.

  • German retailer Rewe pause Links to the German Football Federation after a dispute with Fifa over whether European teams could wear rainbow armbands during World Cup matches.

end of match whistle

If you want a reminder that football is nothing without fans, look no further than the World Cup itself. Fans fly from almost everywhere just to support the national team. In fact, some of their exploits should probably count towards earning trophies.

This video starts seriously. After all, all Mexicans have fun. Give Mexico a trophy now?

Anyway, that’s enough of a joke.

Until next week!

The scoreboard was created by Josh Noble, Samuel Agini and Arash Massoudi from London and Sara Germano, James Fontanella-Khan and Anna Nicolaou from New York, the team that produces the Due Diligence newsletter, the FT’s global network of correspondents and data We have received contributions fromvisualization team

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https://www.ft.com/content/8bbd38f5-c3f7-4698-969e-bface04433a4 How Beckham and Manchester United Tell Investor Stories

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